The subject invention relates to a container-restraining and closure-rotating assembly and, in particular, to such an assembly that enables an individual with arthritis, tendonitis, carpel tunnel syndrome, aching joints, or many other typically painful hand related problems to quickly and easily break the seal and open the threaded closure of a large or small container without the pain normally associated with such activity by a person suffering from one of the above bodily disorders. The subject invention also provides a means for people to open containers who do not otherwise have the strength to break the seal and open the threaded closure of a container, such as elderly people and children. As used herein the term xe2x80x9cthreaded closurexe2x80x9d or xe2x80x9cthreaded closuresxe2x80x9d includes threaded cap(s) and lid(s). As used herein the term xe2x80x9ccountertopxe2x80x9d not only includes a flat working surface on top of waist-level kitchen cabinets, but also similar flat waist-level working surfaces such as but not limited to work bench surfaces.
There have been devices in the past with which people have tried to solve the problem of opening sealed threaded closures as exemplified in the disclosures of the following patents. However, while useful, especially for certain tasks, these approaches to solving the problem all suffer from certain shortcomings.
U.S. Pat. No. 710,606, discloses a jar holding device and cap turner. The jar holding device, while suitable for holding jars having diameters within a selected diameter range, would not be suited for holding either very small diameter or very large diameter containers. The abutment 3 with its set curvature to fit a jar is rigidly associated with the base and the adjustable abutment 4 with its similarly set curvature is adjustable on the base within certain set limits relative to the abutment 3. The abutments 3 and 4 with their set curvatures constitute a guide for and cooperate with the closure-gripping strap 5 to secure a jar against rotation and thereby restrict the size of container that be effectively held by the jar holding device. The cap-turner includes two curved arms 19 and 20 with set, curvatures that cooperate with the clamping-strap 16 to grip the cap of a container. Thus, like the jar-holding device, the cap-turner the structure of the cap-turner restricts the size of cap that can be effectively gripped and opened with the cap-turner.
U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,718,800, 2,937,548, and 4,660,445 all disclose various devices for opening container closures. However, to remove a closure from a container, these devices require the person using the device to grip and rotate the container while the device holds the closure or grip the container to keep the container from rotating with the closure as the device is used to rotate the closure. Rotating a container while a closure is being held or holding a container and keeping the container from rotating with the closure as the closure is being removed are tasks that can be quite difficult for a person suffering from a bodily disorder associated with the hands or weak due to their age. These devices may also have limited applicability. For example, while the device disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,660,445, is suited for removing twist off bottle caps, one would be unable to use it to remove the closure from a gallon pickle jar.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,329,831, discloses an opener for screwed cap containers that includes two embodiments. A preferred embodiment of the opener for screwed cap containers, shown in FIGS. 1 to 5, is an electrically operated closure opener. In addition to the expense associated with the inclusion of an electric motor in this device, the apparent size of the device would require considerable counter or storage space and the need to place the container within the containment portion 22 of the device and the closure within the torque head assembly 70 would limit the size of container that can be opened with the device. Containers, such as large diameter gallon pickle jars, having larger horizontal cross sections than the horizontal cross section of the containment portion 22 could not be placed in the containment portion 22 and could not be opened with the electrically operated closure opener and containers such as baby food jars that are short in height, shorter in height than the containment portion 22 could not be opened with the electrically operated closure opener. While containers of sufficient height with closures smaller in diameter than the torque head assembly 70 could be opened with the electrically operated closure opener, containers with larger diameter closures could not be opened with the electrically operated closure opener. FIGS. 11 and 14 to 17 disclose a countertop holding base embodiment 22 in conjunction with a manually operated torque head assembly 70. However, the containment portion 22 and the torque head assembly of this embodiment of the opener for screwed cap containers would present the same problems discussed above in connection with the electrically operated closure opener.
The container-restraining and closure-rotating assembly of the subject invention solves the problems associated with the unsealing and opening of threaded container closures by individuals with arthritis, tendonitis, carpel tunnel syndrome, aching joints, and other typically painful hand related problems or a weakness by enabling such individuals to quickly and easily break the seal and open the threaded closure of essentially any size container without the pain normally associated with such activity by a person suffering from one of the above bodily disorders. In addition to fitting essentially any size container to be opened from small containers, such as but not limited to baby food jars, cough syrup bottles, beverage bottles with twist off caps, etc., to large containers, such as containers having a capacity of a gallon or more, the container-restraining and closure-rotating assembly of the subject invention is inexpensive to make, easy to mount on or remove from a countertop, easy to use, relatively compact and easy to store, and durable.
The container-restraining and closure-rotating assembly of the subject invention includes a container-restraining implement and a closure-rotating implement. The container-restraining implement includes a base plate that is detachably mounted on a countertop. The base plate is equipped with a container-gripping strap that tightens about and grips a sidewall of a container located on a countertop beside the base plate when a counterclockwise rotational force is applied to the container to restrain or prevent the container from rotating. The closure-rotating implement includes a handle and a closure-gripping strap, carried at one end of the handle, for gripping, rotating and unscrewing a threaded closure from a container restrained by the container-gripping strap of the container-restraining implement. When a counterclockwise rotational force is applied to a threaded closure through the closure-gripping strap of the closure-rotating implement by a counterclockwise movement of the implement handle, the closure-gripping strap of the closure-rotating implement tightens about a sidewall of a threaded closure to grip the closure. This counter-clockwise rotational force is transferred through the closure to the container and through the container to the container-gripping strap to tighten the container-gripping strap about the container and keep the container from rotating with the closure as the closure is being rotated by the closure-rotating implement and removed from the container. In addition to being used to loosen closures from containers, the closure-rotating implement of the subject invention can be inverted, turned upside down, and also used to tighten a threaded closure onto a container.